How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

Three years ago when I started working at my current job, one of my co-workers had just came back to work after having WLS. Since then 2 more of my co-workers had it and they all have done quite well, so my first impression was very favorable.

Describe your experience with getting insurance approval for surgery. What advice, if any, do you have for other people in this stage?

I had Blue Cross HMO, and my approval process was a breeze. I went to my primary doctor at the end of May and had my 5 and 1/2 months later.

What was your first visit with your surgeon like? How can people get the most out of this meeting?

I have never really met with my surgeon, I met with his PA and it was very informative. You need to have a list of questions and issues with you, as you will not remember everything that you want to ask.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

As my weight kept going upward, I was very worried about getting Diabites. My grandmother on my mom's side went blind from Diabites and my mom's cousin lost her leg from Diabities. As I lost my mother in a car wreck when I was very little, I had no idea if she would have gotten Diabites when she was older. Just having the amount of Diabites in my family made me scared. I aslo turned 50 a month after my surgery and this was my 50th birthday present to myself...a healthier me!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I felt the RNY was the most common surgery, so therefore had the most statistics behind it to study. It also was the one that my surgeon's PA suggested.

What fears did you have about having complications or even dying from from the surgery, and what would you tell other people having the same fears now?

I looked at the statistics that Dr. Coirin gave us at the orientation and saw that their track record was very, very good. This helped alot. I realized that it was risky, but so was being obese, and I felt that the outcome of the surgery outweighed the risks. Any complications that I have had, have been self inflicted, such as not listening to my body telling me that my pouch did not like what I was eating, or that I was eating too fast or too much. Now that I have learned to "listen" to my body things are very good!

How did your family and friends react to your decision? Would you have communicated anything differently if you could now? How supportive were they after your surgery?

My husband, being 6'3" and weighing in at 190, did not understand why I had to take such drastic measures. He was very unsupportive before surgery, but I had made up my mind and was going to go through with it come hell or high water! My children, my father and my in-laws were very much behind me, so this helped! My husband has done a complete turnaround since and is my biggest supporter. I am proud of this almost as much as my weight loss. I did not take him to the first seminar, I took my daughter and if I had to change anything, I would take him also. I knew he was going to be a negative force at first, so I did not want that interfering with anything I learned at the seminar.

How did your employer/supervisor react to your decision? What did you tell him/her? How long were you out of work?

My employer is very supportive. They just wanted to make sure that I had researched it completely and that I knew the risks as well as the good things. They had known from the start that I was looking into this surgery and when I decided to have it and got a surgery date it was easy to tell them. I was off for 4 weeks.

What was your stay in the hospital like? How long where you there? What things are most important to bring?

Hospital stay was not even 3 days and was a very good experience. I brought everything they told me to bring, but did not use most of it. I used my own pillow and slippers and the rest stayed in my overnight bag in the closet.

Did you have any complications from the surgery? If so, how did you deal with them?

No complications, thank goodness!

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

I felt excited, scared and dazed! I just kept reminding myself of the reasons that I was doing this, and when I had doubts I just remembered the success of my two co-workers and how their lives have changed for the better since their surgeries.

Describe your first few weeks home from the hospital. What should people expect from this period?

The first week at home was the worst for me. I did not do well on the liquid diet. I had headaches, which disappeared the minute I got to eat solid food. The scheduling of my meals and drinking the water was hard to do. I had to keep telling my self that my mentors at work ate normal and I would too at some time.

How far did you travel to have your surgery? (If far, how did this affect your aftercare?)

I traved 20 miles away for my surgery.

Please describe in detail what things you could and couldn't eat in the weeks and months following surgery. What foods have been off limits? Please explain how your dietary tolerance changed week-by-week, and then month-by-month since surgery.

I could eat pretty much everything that my doctors had on the list for us to eat. I never tried anything that I was not supposed to eat, the fear of dumping or worse damaging the work that they had done to me was enough to scare me off! I have since found a few things that just do not set too well with me, such as meatballs and some other hamburger based foods. The biggest change is that I can eat a bit more than I could at first (still lots less than before).

What was your actvity level in the days and weeks after surgery?

I just walked alot and did the excersises (sometimes)that where given to us in our WLS manual.

What vitamins and/or dietary supplements have you taken since your surgery?

I take a chewable multi-vitamin, B12, B1, Biotin and Calcium-Citrate

What side effects (nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbace, dumping, hair loss etc.) were worse for you? For how long after surgery did they persist? How did you cope with them?

I have not had too many side effects. My hair loss was minimal and this was my biggest fear. It was that alone that made me get my protein in everyday! I have not tried any sugar products, so I don't know if I am intolerant of sugar or not & I think I am going to keep it that way!

What was the worst part about the entire bariatric surgery process?

The worst part was having to get all the meals and water in, and having to wait 1 hour after eating to drink again. I finally had to set the timer so I would not forget, since I was not hungry at all. Nothing really tasted very good at first, so eating was a chore, not a pleasure anymore, but that was the goal...wasn't it?

What aftercare support group/program do you have? How helpful/important is this?

We have a support group that meets every month. I have only went twice, as it conflicts with another meeting that I usually go to. I feel it is important to interact with others and the suggestions that you get for any issues that you have are very helpful.

What is your scar like? Is this what you expected?

I have very minimal scaring....I am very happy with that!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am having a plateau right now at 6 months post-op. It is mostly because with my busy schedule I have not excersised as I should have, so I am getting back on schedule!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People worry about me and always ask how I am feeling, but other than that nobody treats me too differently!